K.N. Prabhu: An innings to cherish

By John Cheeran
I never met K. N. Prabhu, the prince among Indian cricket writers. And I will never meet him now.
Prabhu died in Mumbai on Sunday morning. He was 83.
Though I did not meet him, Prabhu was no stranger to me as well as thousands of other cricket lovers as he extensively wrote for The Times of India in an age where the print media remained the sole voice of cricket. My generation, however, missed the best of Prabhu's colorful and vivid reportage that began in the early 50s.
Prabhu was feted for his turn of phrase and style, as Raju Bharathan, that other stylist, pointed out in an obituary yesterday.
It was a few gentlemen such as Prabhu who brought dignity to sports journalism in India. Indian cricket captains and players sought after Prabhu to convey their points of view to the nation through the Times of India. Prabhu never stooped to conquer scoops. Even after a long innings as Sports Editor of the Times of India, Prabhu did not abandon his first love. He used to write on cricket for Mid-Day.
Prabhu, I should add, was a bit lucky.
His job was made easier by the simple fact that there was little competition for him from other media outlets in the country. And quite often his version of the events was the only one available for the reader.
There were no television channels who now compete to build any average cricketer into a rock star. But that does not take the sheen from his splendid work.
Prabhu's reportage, I'm sure, will survive the seasons to come. Thank you, master.